A blog by Louise Gallagher

The sun still shines behind grey clouds

The world around me is turning white. Snow falls, heavy like rain, covering the world in its pristine blanket.

And still, behind the grey skies, the sun is shining. I just need to wait long enough for the clouds to clear for it to become visible again.

This too shall pass.

In a world of impermanence, of constant change, all things do pass.

It is a comforting thought.

In a conversation with a friend the other day, she shared some of the struggles she is going through. “I don’t know what to do,” she said. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“What if you choose to do nothing but stay in the angst of what is?” I asked.

She smiled and replied, “Then I’d have to give up control.”

And we both laughed.

So much of what we struggle against is about grasping for control of what we cannot change.

For my friend, there is nothing she can do to change the circumstances she is facing. And that can be a scary place.

Years ago, when my brother and his wife were killed in a car accident, I wanted to change what had happened. I wanted to rewind the story so I could pull their car back from that one place on the highway where their path intersected with a semi-trailer’s and everything changed.

I was powerless.

In facing my powerlessness, I had to get present with what was. I had to get present to my tears and fears, grief and anger to find compassion for myself and all of us affected by the impact of that one tragic moment where their path in this world ended in a fiery crash.

In my powerlessness I found my strength and courage to be present in my grief and anger through love.

Ultimately, no matter what circumstances we face, when we get present with what is and let love be our constant light shining from within, illuminating our hearts, we become centred in the eye of life’s storms. Centred in love, the winds of change can howl and swirl all around us, without pulling us off course. In that place, love becomes like the sun, always present, always guiding us, no matter how grey and stormy the world around us becomes.

Namaste.

___

As Easter Sunday approaches, my brother is on my heart. It would have been his 69th birthday this April 15th. He was 49 when he died. The truth today continues just as it did then, I carry him in my heart, always.

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I believe we each have the capacity to be the change we want to see in the world, to make a world of difference. I believe we are creative beings on the journey of our lifetimes. It's up to each of us to Live It Up and SHINE!